


you said 'i used to come here a lot before' | Before what?

by cyndrat



Series: Detroit: Reverse Roles [2]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Angst, Car Accidents, Character Death, Cole is Connor's brother, Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900 are Siblings, Connor is scared, Gen, Hospitals, Human Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Human Upgraded Connor | RK900, Injury, Minor Character Death, Nines just deals with major stress in a different way, Pre-Canon, Role Reversal, Worried Big Brothers, explicit character death is Mama Anderson, handwavy emergency medical stuff, so is Nines
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-18
Updated: 2018-09-18
Packaged: 2019-07-13 21:16:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16026125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cyndrat/pseuds/cyndrat
Summary: What if Connor was the DPD's rising star lieutenant, and Hank was the android sent by CyberLife?And what, then, aboutbefore?





	you said 'i used to come here a lot before' | Before what?

**Author's Note:**

> I decided 'Cole' is short for Nicholas in my 'verse here; 'Nicky' is something of a family exclusive nickname (sort of in the way 'Nines' is) though they don't use it as much now.

**|OCTOBER 11, 2035|**

**|21:20:54|**

**|21:20:55|**

**|21:20:56...|**

Connor doesn’t remember falling asleep. He supposes he must have, because he's blinking his eyes open, feeling groggy and sore like he often does when he ends up sleeping in Mom's car. They're stopped though, which is kind of weird because that's not Nines' apartment block in front of them. No, that's- that's road.

Thinking feels hard. Connor frowns.

"Mom?" he says, turning and wincing with the movement. His shoulder did not like that- His breath catches. "M-mom?" His voice sounds impossibly small, and he swallows, takes a short breath. She's leaning over the steering wheel in an uncomfortable looking position. Unnatural. Connor takes another breath - it doesn't feel like enough. He reaches out, hears something like the clinking of jewellery. He stares at his arm and sees little bits of glitter, sparkling in the streetlight. _Not glitter,_ he realizes, _glass._ The driver's window is smashed, slivers of glass in Mom's hair. No, this isn't- this isn't right. "Mom!" Connor stretches, grabbing her elbow and shaking her. No response. "Oh my g- oh my god, oh-" A whiny exhale makes him freeze. That wasn't him, right? No. It wasn't- He licks his lips, swallows. It wasn't Mom either. Who could-

_Fuck._

Connor twists to look over his shoulder at the backseat. Fuck, goddamnit, no- "Cole?" he whispers. The eleven-year old is covered in glass too, and- and the driver's side back door is- it's- Connor reaches for his seatbelt, trying to undo it by memory alone so he doesn't have to look away from his little brother- His fingers are fumbling uselessly as if they've never done this before. He sucks in a breath and whips his gaze down to his side, clicking the belt release in a fraction of a second. He looks behind him again, turning in his seat and almost climbing over the middle console. But after a moment, he realizes that Cole- Cole is breathing, and his eyes flutter open as Connor watches.

"Con?" the boy whimpers, and Connor squeezes his hands into tight fists.

"Y-yeah Cole, yeah buddy I'm here. Do you- Are you-" He bites his lip to keep down a swear and to focus. Car collision, emergency. What should he do? "Sit still a sec okay, I'm gonna come back there. Okay? Try not to move." Cole nods jerkily, his blue eyes duller than they should be. Shit. "Just give me a second Nicky-baby." The boy doesn't seem to react to the old nickname. Connor turns in his chair, taking a breath and pushing at his door. It opens halfway and stops, like there's something in the way, but he slides out, barely standing on trembling legs. His grip on the top of the car door has a big part to play in staying upright.

"Oh my god," comes a voice, and Connor blinks slowly as he lifts his head to stare over the car. There's another vehicle stopped perpendicular to Mom's car, someone crumpled over the steering wheel just like- "Are you okay?" He swings his gaze to the side, sees a pale girl standing half out of her SUV. It's parked messily behind them, hazards flashing brightly.

"I-" he starts, and looks back down to the back door. He can just barely see Cole. "911," he mutters, scrunching his eyes shut against the blinking yellow hazards for a moment. "Call- Did anyone-? There's- There's a child in the backseat, call 911." His voice gets sharper, strong enough that the girl startles at the order. _"Now."_ She nods, dipping back into her SUV, and Connor decides to ignore her. He takes a step, shifting his hands from the top of his door to the roof of the car, shuffling along until he's far enough to open the back door. It smacks into the barrier, same as his door had, but there's more space back here, and he staggers forwards onto the seat. "Hey Cole, buddy, can you look at me? Come on Nicky-baby, show me your pretty eyes."

"C-Connor." His baby brother is whimpering, sounding an inch from crying as he shifts his head to the side slowly. "Con, I- it hu-urts."

Connor's lungs feel like they're collapsing, but he manages a shaky breath. "I know baby, I know, help is coming, okay? Can- Can I hold your hand, is that alright?" Cole raises his right hand, fingers outstretched for Connor to grab hold of. He does without wasting a second, squeezing lightly and rubbing his thumb over the back of Cole's hand. "Help is coming, I promise, just keep looking at me please? I'm here, it's going to be o-" His throat clenches up. He… he can't say the word. He can't promise his baby brother that everything's going to be okay, like he always does when Cole gets anxious or sad or scared. He can't make that promise right now, because he- he doesn't know if he can believe it. "Trust me Nicky-baby, I'm here, I'm gonna stay right here beside you, I'm not going anywhere. Help is coming." And it is; Connor can hear sirens approaching, and he can faintly hear the girl who stopped behind them as she speaks into her phone, voice shaking, and he thinks, in a distant sort of way, that she sounds on the verge of sobbing. "I'm here, I'm not going to leave you."

"Hurts," Cole cries, tears finally starting to run down his cheeks as his fingers shake in Connor's hand.

"I know baby, I-"

"Co-Connor, I- I'm scared, it hurts-"

Connor takes a chance, shifts his weight to raise himself up and press his lips against Cole's forehead. The boy is still crying, but the extra touch quiets him a little, enough for Connor to speak. "Shh, Nicky-baby, I'm here. I promise, I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right beside you. Okay? I'm right here." The sirens cut off, and it's suddenly quiet but for Cole's hiccupping breaths.

Someone's leaning in the car door behind Connor a moment later, talking at him. He blinks, focuses on the person behind him - an EMT - and focuses on the words she's saying. She's asking him questions, asking him to move so they can get at Cole. He slips backwards in the seat, still holding Cole's hand. He's going to have to let go. "It's okay," the EMT says, grasping his shoulder and encouraging him to move. He opens his mouth, but can't think of words, and the EMT gives him a look, pushing him gently backwards and into the hands of someone else.

Someone else is an emergency response android, with a calmly glowing blue armband. The glow seems to pulse as he concentrates on it, but the android is speaking, and he wrenches his attention up to it's face. It goes through a concussion check, takes hold of his left hand which has a series of lacerations - from when the windows shattered - and applies something to the skin that numbs the nerves. He tells it that his shoulder aches when he turns, and it runs a scan, declaring a minor strain that doesn't warrant any direct treatment. He's released from its hold and it tries to direct him away from the car - away from Cole.

"He's-" Connor says, keeping his eyes on the boy even as the android manhandles him around the back bumper. "Please, he's- he's my-"

The android ignores him, going back to the EMT and switching places with her. It re-emerges from the car a second later, Cole cradled easily in its arms. Connor takes an aborted step forwards, watching with wide eyes as the android strides past him and places the boy on the stretcher that's been waiting close. His gaze drops to Cole's body, seeing red staining the kid's pale jeans, and he quickly resolves to keep his focus on Cole's face as the boy coughs.

The android is wheeling Cole away, stretcher lifting in to the back of the ambulance and the EMT clambering up after it before Connor thinks to move. He takes an unsteady step, then another, and then he's grasping at the end of the stretcher, trying to do- something, he has to do something, he-

"Back off, we gotta go," the EMT orders, turning to stare him down.

"He's-" His throat feels constricted, like someone grabbed hold and is squeezing until he can't breathe. "He's my- my brother. My baby brother, he- Our mom was-"

"Shit," the EMT says, the curse sounding low and heavy out of her mouth. "Get in."

Connor staggers forwards, accepting the hand the EMT offers. The woman pulls him up into the ambulance, pushes him down into a seat and then they're moving, the doors having closed when he wasn't looking. Cole is- he's still conscious, still crying.

"Can you look at me?" the human EMT says, leaning over Cole while the emergency response android busies itself with bits and pieces of tech.

Connor blinks, looks at the space and considering- Yeah, that should be fine. He slides along the bench he's sitting on until he reaches the end, then stands, sliding his back along the inner wall of the ambulance until he's standing near Cole's head and the EMT finally notices him. She frowns and opens her mouth to order him away, but he shakes his head sharply. "Cole, buddy, listen to me. Arianna wants to help, but you need to do what she says." The EMT looks momentarily surprised that he knows her name - he remembers, of course he remembers that one investigation where he found a teenager in the attic and called 911 and Arianna was the responder. He makes a point of remembering.

"Con? Con, I- it-"

"I know baby. Look at Arianna." He falls quiet as the EMT does her work, hustling up and down the stretcher and asking questions. Cole squeezes his eyes shut, his breaths coming short and small, and Connor sets his hands on the top of the stretcher, slides one down to cup the cheek that is clear of blood. Arianna looks at his hands, but she doesn't say anything, so he assumes it's okay. "I'm here Nicky-baby," he murmurs, focusing on soothing Cole, because there really isn't anything else he can do. "I'm- I love you, I'm here."

He doesn't realize the ambulance has stopped until Arianna is tapping his hands and giving the android instructions to move the stretcher. He lifts his hands away from Cole in one jerky movement, watching as the android wheels the stretcher backwards, as Arianna hops down out of the ambulance to hold the stretcher steady as they set it on asphalt. Cole is small, light - hardly an addition to the mass of the stretcher. He's too small, too small for this, and-

"Lieutenant," Arianna says, meeting his eyes for half a second. So she remembers him, too. She stalls, as if reconsidering what she intended to say. "It could go either way," she decides on, offering him a moment of honesty. He nods dumbly, watching. She trots alongside the stretcher while the android wheels his brother into the ER, the three figures quickly disappearing behind the doors.

He should go, should follow. His feet seem stuck though, until he feels a vibration against his leg. He becomes aware of the sound that accompanies the vibration, and jerks into motion, stepping forwards and down out of the ambulance. He should… answer his phone, probably, but… First, he should follow Cole. Cole is definitely priority number one, no question about it. His baby brother is always priority one.

He crosses the asphalt, somehow reaching the doors and moving into the ER without collapsing. He can't collapse, not yet. Cole needs him to be strong for now. Mom is- Mom's gone, he didn't need the EMTs to confirm that. He's seen enough bodies since he started at the DPD. But Mom is gone, which means that Cole is his responsibility.

"Anderson?" a voice barks out, and Connor's head snaps up as he looks around. There's an aide advancing on him - another android, he hadn't realized how many different androids the hospital had. "Come with me."

He nods, eyes sweeping over the ER waiting room as if Cole might be sitting there, all alone and needing him to-

The aide's hand slips around his arm and it guides him into the waiting room, then to the side, down a hallway that turns twice before the android stops. "You can wait here," it says, gesturing to half a dozen chairs set along the wall behind him. He jerks his head in a nod, and it walks away without another word.

Connor sits in one of the chairs and finds himself staring blankly at the pale wall in front of him for a few minutes before he shifts uncomfortably. There's something in his pocket, something with hard edges that's digging into his leg, what could- Phone. It had vibrated, in the- the ambulance. He jumps to his feet, shoving a hand into the pocket to pull the device out. **|21:49|** the time reads in bright white against the colourful background image, and he scrolls down. He's got about a dozen and a half notifications, most of them from various precinct group chats. Two of the most recent ones though…

 **Call from: Nines** |missed: 21:40|

 **Nines:** **< ETA?>**|received: 21:26|

Connor blinks at his phone. What… Right. He swipes on the text, thumb poised to tap out a message…

No. He doesn't know how to put this… situation in a message. A call probably won't be easier, but Nines will figure it out. He exits the message, swipes the call instead. It's picked up almost immediately, and Connor can hear the cats. Speakerphone then.

_"Con, why aren't-"_

"Nines," he says, his voice barely more than a whisper. Nines is immediately silent. "Nines, there- there was- I don't know-"

 _"Where are-"_ There's a quiet moment while Connor squeezes his eyes shut, just waiting because he doesn't know what to say. _"I'm on my way, I'll be there in 5 minutes. Okay?"_ They're both silent. _"Connor. Okay?"_

Connor licks his lips. "O-okay. Okay."

_"Do you want me to stay on the phone?"_

"No," he says quickly. "No, focus on- on-"

_"Okay Connor, don't worry. Five minutes, I promise."_

He croaks out another 'okay' and Nines hangs up, the phone suddenly silent and heavy in his hand. Five minutes. Okay. Five minutes. He brings the cellphone down from his ear after a moment, staring at it. Just five minutes, Nines said. Nines promised. He can believe that. Connor continues to stare at his dark phone, waiting for… waiting for something. He doesn't know what. He knows he can believe Nines. He doesn't know if Cole- Nines is coming, he said so. He knows that. He doesn't know-

There's a presence at his side seconds later, fingers reaching out and wrapping themselves around the phone clutched in his hand. He lets it go, certain on some level that he recognizes the tungsten and cobalt ring. The fingers retreat out of his vision, but then they're sliding around his shoulder instead, pulling him to lean sideways against a sturdy chest.

"I'm here Connor, I'm here." Nines. Nines' ring, his hand, his voice. Okay. Connor lets a soft, pitiful sound move through his throat, and Nines pulls him closer, wrapping long arms and long fingers around him, holding him. "Sh Con, I'm here, okay? I'm here."

"He-" Connor chokes out, and Nines starts to move, rocking them softly. "They said- I don't, I don't know, I-"

"Shh. Listen to me Connor, okay? I'm here. I'm not, I'm not leaving. We're here, together, we're staying to-together." Nines is stumbling over his words. Just like Connor is.

"There was-" Connor says, ignoring the shushing. Nines needs to know, he needs to- "There- A, a car, it- on Grand River, it-" Nines squeezes his shoulders after the words die in his throat.

"It's okay, you can tell me later, I don't-"

Connor shakes his head sharply. "Mom is- She, um, she didn't- She"

"Fuck," Nines murmurs, that one word sounding thick. "So- So it's just- It's just Nicky-" Connor nods. Nines holds him tighter, exhales shakily against his forehead. "Con. Connor, oh god. It's o- We can do this. You have, you still have the uh, that room? You have- We can do it, we'll- I can- He can stay with- He can-"

"Nines," Connor says, hearing tears in his voice. Nines lifts his hand, pulling the end of his sleeve down, and wipes at Connor's cheeks. So he has been crying then. He doesn't know… "Nines, she- EMT said- said that he, that it could- could-"

"No. No, shut up, we'll deal with it if- when they- Don't say it. _Don't."_ Connor gasps a breath but stays quiet. He knows- Arianna said- "We wait until they tell us. Okay? We wait. I'm here, we're together. We'll wait together, as long- as long as it takes."

Connor nods. He feels- tired. Drained. Nothing is real - the sounds of the ER, the fearful anticipation, the past hour (or has it been more) - nothing seems real right now, nothing except Nines. Everything else is- Everything else is coming to him through a haze. He feels exhausted. He lets his head fall heavy against Nines' shoulder, feels the thick scarf soft on the tip of his nose.

"We're together," Nines whispers, still rocking slightly. Connor sniffles. They are - the two of them, the Anderson twins, they're together.

Outside of that, all bets are off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like there are a few awkward, choppy bits here?... though that's mostly because I sat down and spent maybe 30 minutes linking up portions of the piece
> 
> also it's all one 3k ~monster because I didn't really feel like there were any decent places to split it up

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like there are a few awkward, choppy bits here?... though that's mostly because I sat down and spent maybe 30 minutes linking up portions of the piece
> 
> also it's all one 3k ~monster because I didn't really feel like there were any decent places to split it up


End file.
